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The women's urinals of Texas A&M University These women's urinals are found in the Commons building at the College Station, TX campus of Texas A&M

George Mitchell Lays Groundwork for New Texas A&M Science Initiative With $35 Million Gift Thursday November 3, 9:30 am ET Noted Architect Michael Graves Commissioned to Design Two New Buildings for A&M Physics Department HOUSTON, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- George P. Mitchell of Houston is spearheading the development of a new science initiative at Texas A&M University with a $35 million gift to support an effort to propel the institution into the front ranks of fundamental physics and astronomy. LINK

June 12, 2005 7:56 AM A&M weighs leases for new facilities ... A&M officials are giving private developers from across the nation the chance to develop this pair of attractively located university properties north of campus. The deal: Any company willing to front the capital can lease the land and develop commercial, residential and academic buildings near campus, said Bill Perry, A&M

As an aggie, I have yet to visit the memorial in Aggieland. I don't know if I can. It was such a sad moment in our history. I visited the night after it happened and it was the quietest I have ever heard A&M. Has anyone else been? Aggie Bonfire Memorial

Texas A&M has announced a new campus master plan over the summer. The plan will guide campus development over the next fifty years. It essentially condemns most of the building practices of the last forty years, during the school's "crisis period of growth," calling them sprawling and non-contributive towards the traditional campus. The buildings that A&M students love and cherish, the "campus of memory," is said to be found among the older, more urban-style buildings. Future development will be a return to this urban style. The plan calls for new quads, defining of new spaces (and redefining of the old, like O.R. Simpson drill field), removal of parking to the perimeter of campus, and a major increase of density in the historical parts of campus. There are also recommendations on how to improve the quality of architecture; and a landscape plan, which includes turning major arteries such as Wellborn and University Dr. into tree-lined boulevards and preserving natural areas such as the White Creek Greenway. The plan is exciting, as anyone who looks at some of the drawings will attest. It has already won awards from the Boston Society of Architects and a similar Austin-based society, which says that this is the first time they have given their award to a plan instead of a building. It contains interesting discussions of the history and values involved in campus planning, including references to the principles of the French Ecole des Beaux Arts. Anyone interested in the architectural future of one of the nation's five largest universities would enjoy skimming through. www.tamu.edu/campusplan As I looked up this link, I noticed that just yesterday the University President dedicated 16 historic campus buildings as "worthy of preservation," citing them as evoking the values and traditions of the school. Also, a new building in the planning stages, the landmark $100 million Life Sciences Center, is to "rigorously adhere" to the principles set forth in the campus plan. It looks like the school is excitedly adopting this vision.